5.31.2012

The rain clouds finally went on their merry way so I was able to snap a few pics of my latest project. It's another part of the gallery wall that I'm working on--I like to think of it as our 'Branch' of the 'Family Tree'.

I found random silhouette images online for the purpose of this post but I will actually have black and white photos of my family in it, which I love. I printed one of my husband and I together for the top frame and a picture of each of my kids for the four frames below.

(I would have used silhouette's of my own family if I wasn't already planning on using photos.)

Supplies:

Piece of a Dry Branch

Small Frames

Jute Twine

Hot Glue

Picture Hanger

Pictures

Directions:

Find a stick that is similar in shape to this one with one straight upper branch and one straight lower one (it's upside down in this picture). You can leave it natural or spray paint it. The color of mine is Heirloom White from Rustoleum.

I found these frames at a local craft store and bought five of them for $1 each. They measure 1 1/2" x 2".

Hot glue a piece of jute onto the back. Line up the ends one over the other so the frames will hang straight when you loop them over the branch. (It might be necessary in some places to loop the jute over the branch first before gluing it to the frame.)

Print and cut your images to the size of your frame and tape them to the back. This is an earlier version that I tried with the original black frames and a chevron print behind the silhouettes.

It's hard to tell in the picture, but the whole branch is only 12" long.

To hang it, I used one of the picture hangers that comes to a point on the end and hammers directly into the frame (or branch in this case.) If you look to the right in the photo, you'll see a small piece of a branch that is hot glued to the back of the main branch. This was added so the branch would hang straight with the wall.

I wanted the top frame to sit on the log, but didn't want it to fall off if it was bumped so I hot glued two loops of jute to the back of it. I also hammered a nail into the wall right below the end of the branch to hold the weight so it would hang level.

I loved the detail on the frames, but it was lost in their dark color. I brushed on some green paint (Valspar's Apple 4 in a sample size) and then used a wet paper towel to immediately wipe some of it back off to show the dark details. I'm really happy with the outcome and love the brighter green color.

The chevron behind the silhouettes didn't look exactly how I'd envisioned it, so I printed them again with a white background instead for a cleaner look.

My Total Cost: $5

I imagine this family branch could also be a fun gift for grandparents with pictures of all of their grandchildren hanging from the branch. Depending on the family you might need a much larger branch. :)

Wow such a great idea! My dad would actually love something like this for Father's Day. I'm excited to be a new GFC follower and would love if you stopped by and followed me at http://iheartpears.blogspot.com

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